with him : and that if he refuged himself, where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the + See Rollin's History, Vol. xii. Plate the 25th ex- L 2 cause cause he was engaged in, from expedition, upon that principle mentioned by Tacitus, That nothing determines civil discords so happily as dispatch ; Husai, on the contrary, wholly laid himself out to protract, and to delay. For delay would not only ward off David's present danger; but would also, as the fame Tacitus observes, give ill men time to repent, and the good to unite. And it is certain, that in all contests of this kind, that remark of Livy will always hold good, That when men have time to think, there will never be wanting who will be glad to gain the favour of the right side, by adhereing to the public good. These were the principles of Hushai's advice; and his advice, as much better suited to Absalom's cruelty, as well as his vanity, and seemingly to the interest of his ambition, as well as the safety of his followers, (who cared to put nothing to the hazard of a small party) easily prevailed: for so it seemed good to Almighty God, to infatuate the counsels of David's enemies, and defeat their devices. C H A P. | C H A P. XI. Hushai sends David Intelligence of all that passed in Absalom’s Council, earnestly intreating him to pass over Jordan that very Night; which was dane accordingly. Achitophel's sudden and sad End. Mr. Bayle's important Decision upon Hushai's Deception of Absalom considered, with all the Deference due to it. A BSALOM's council had no sooner A broken up, than Husbai hasted to Zadok and Abiathar, to inform them of 'what passed ; and to advise them to send David immediate intelligence of it; adding this particular caution and advice from himself, to the king, That he should by no means think of resting all night in the wilderness; but make all possible dispatch to pass the Jordan with his houshold, and all his forces : Left the king, says he, be fwallowed up, and all the people that are with bìn. Now Jonathan and Abimaaz, who were to carry the intelligence, had not yet returned into the city ; but found some pretence for tarrying without the walls, at a place called En-rogel, or The Fuller's Fountain ; and, probably, upon some pretence of washing and cleansing themselves from some legal pollution. And their fathers had no way of communicating Hushai's advice to them, but by the means of a girl, whom, doubtless, they knew to be intelligent and faithful; and such a person, being a safe mefsenger, must, in all probability, have been a very proper one, because least liable to be suspected; for what could be lefs so, than a girl going to a well, where such persons have calls at all times ? However, notwithstanding all their caution, they were observed by a lad, (who informed Absalom) and immediately pursued. Jonathan and Abimaaz made the best of their way, with all possible dispatch, towards David: but, finding themselves hotly pursued, they fled to a friend's house in Baburim ; who having a well in his court-yard, which probably was then dry, or, at least, not very deep, they went down into it; where a woman, cover ing the well, and spreading some ground were |